1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a portable clamp and anchor which may be used to facilitate the performance of body conditioning exercises and, more specifically, may be used as a foot restraining device which aids in the performance of sit-ups.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with foot restraining devices which aid in the performance of sit-ups. In particular, there have been many devices which can be secured to the bottom a door and the user's feet so that the user's feet may be restrained and anchored during exercising. Examples of these devices are seen in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,182,510 to Lundell and 4,185,816 to Bernstein.
There are a number of problems associated with the devices which are currently available. In attempting to design a portable clamp and anchor, considerations of weight, portability, compactness, ease in assembly and disassembly, low cost of manufacturing, simplicity in design and use such as adjustability in accommodating a particular size door and a particular size user are important.
The prior art is quite primitive in satisfying these criteria. Known devices are generally heavy in weight and lack portability and compactness because they are not collapsible. They are comparatively difficult to assemble and disassemble if such assembly steps are indeed present in the use of the device and if so, the mechanical fasteners used in the assembly operation add to the weight, the time involved in the assembly, and the lack of adjustability in accommodating a particular size door or a particular size user. Further, the prior art does not include a portable clamp and anchor which has a portion which can be attached to a relatively fixed structure and a portion which can be attached to the feet of a user which later can be attached to the former portion in a variety of relatively fixed positions to accommodate a variety of users with feet of different sizes and angular dispostions.